The band's debut album, 20 years on

Shares

Introduction

Fun Lovin' Criminals are the product of a heady cocktail of influences: back in 1996, everything from blues, funk, hip-hop and jazz got stirred up and served real smooth to form the basis of the band's debut, Come Find Yourself, as popularised by Pulp Fiction-sampling single, Scooby Snacks.

Now, 20 years since the album's release, the album is getting the deluxe treatment, and the trio are set to perform the whole record on tour - here, frontman/guitarist/radio personality Huey Morgan and keyboardist Brian 'Fast' Leiser let us in on their thoughts on each track from FLC's classic debut.

The 20th Anniversary Edition of Come Find Yourself is out now on Edsel

PrevPage 1 of 14Next PrevPage 1 of 14Next

The Fun Lovin' Criminal

“This is one of the first songs written by myself [Fast] and Huey in the fall of 1993. The blending of genres like country, hip-hop and rock was an unintentional blessing as the pieces fit nicely in the track.

“Add the horn fanfare in the chorus and lyrics about our trials and tribulations working in the Limelight nightclub, and you have what is considered to be our theme song.”

The Grave And The Constant

“A soulful song about Huey's time in the Marines. The blending of jazz and soul elements worked very well from the start. Another song written in our first sessions in the fall of 1993.”

PrevPage 4 of 14Next PrevPage 4 of 14Next

Scooby Snacks

“It's funny that we got our record deal before the song was written. I [Fast] was messing around on beats at home in front of the TV. I had Reservoir Dogs on and was listening to it while the instrumental was playing in the background. It was cool.

“I sent Huey the track; he wrote the lyrics inspired by a colleague we worked with at The Limelight who was a bit of a mental security guard. The label heard it and loved it, and the rest is history.”

Smoke 'Em

“A song about jumping out of airplanes, but has become our ‘smokers' anthem’ in our live shows. Also written in our first session, it had a great lounge vibe with fat beats and a great horn/guitar outro.

“It's one of my favourites to perform live, as I [Fast] channel the ghost of Ray Manzarek from The Doors with the left-hand key bass, right-hand electric piano.”

King Of New York

“Ladi Dadi! Growing up in NYC in the 90s was a great time. The Gambino Family was still very much around and the boss was John Gotti. More of a tongue-in-cheek homage to the mafia in NYC, we liked blending the funk/rock elements to make something unique.”

We Have All The Time In The World

“Our label, EMI, asked if we wanted to do a cover for the album. Originally, we refused, but Huey and I [Fast] had been listening to a boxset of James Bond songs and felt we could do this one justice.

“The John Barry/Hal David combo is always a recipe for a good song, and Louie Armstrong’s voice is imperfect like Huey's, yet very original in its tone. I love the trumpet part and always look forward to performing it live.”